Cavs

Here's a look at how the NBA Eastern Conference seeds look as the playoffs loom. 1. Cavaliers Record since break: 28-8. Why they can win the East: No one else may show up. Actually, it only seems they never lose. Throw out three weeks and they're on a 70-victory pace. That's with Shaquille O'Neal having missed 26 games this season, Delonte West 22, Mo Williams 11 and LeBron James three. Not that there's any mystery: James, last season's overwhelming choice as MVP, raised his game again, prompting Magic coach Stan Van Gundy to name him the presumptive MVP through 2018.

The Maryland baseball team's improbable NCAA tournament run ended in disappointment Monday when Virginia jumped to an early lead and never let up in an 11-2 drubbing in the deciding third game of the NCAA super regional. “There's only eight teams that can go to Omaha (Neb. for the College World Series), and I'd say these guys had about as special a season as they possibly could have had,” Maryland coach John Szefc said. “Unfortunately, we got matched up against an absolute monster in the super regional at their place.” That monster was a Virginia squad whose explosive offense threatened in Maryland's Game 1 win Saturday, broke out to take Game 2 Sunday, and never relented in a 13-hit barrage Monday that ended Maryland's season.

Tom Izzo has another suitor. Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis said Monday the Cavaliers are interested in Izzo but haven't given him the chance to replace fired coach Mike Brown . Yet. "There is not a contract offer on the table," Hollis said in a telephone interview with the AP. "Last week, there was talk that Chicago and New Jersey were interested." The News-Herald of Willoughby, Ohio, reported Sunday the Cavs have made Izzo an offer to be their coach, citing an unidentified league source.

By Mike Preston, The Baltimore Sun and By Mike Preston, The Baltimore Sun | March 21, 2014

For four seasons, Johns Hopkins lacrosse coach Dave Pietramala had to find a way to defend Virginia attackman Steele Stanwick . On Saturday, the roles will be reversed because No. 8 Virginia has to find a way to stop his brother Wells, an attackman for the No. 10 Blue Jays. A lot has changed for Hopkins and Virginia in recent years. Hopkins' offense is no longer centered on midfielders, but quarterbacked by Stanwick, a junior from Boys' Latin who has a team-high 20 assists as well as nine goals.

Tom Izzo is trying to take his time as he weighs the pros and cons of leaving to coach the Cavaliers or staying at Michigan State. He indicated on Sunday that he's still undecided. "Still gathering," Izzo wrote in a text message to the Associated Press. The Cavaliers have been wooing Izzo for at least a week to coach their team — and perhaps LeBron James , who can become a free agent. Izzo, who spent several hours in Cleveland with team officials last week, has said the situation wouldn't go on forever.

An official within the league told the Associated Press that the NBA has not threatened to stop a potential reunion between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. The Cavaliers traded their longtime center to Washington last week in the three-team deal that brought Antawn Jamison to Cleveland. The Wizards might decide to buy out Ilgauskas, allowing him to become a free agent. The Los Angeles Times quoted an unnamed source Sunday saying the NBA had told other teams it wouldn't let Ilgauskas go back to the Cavs.

The Cleveland Cavaliers advance to the NBA Finals with a 98-82 victory over the Detroit Pistons in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. LeBron James had 20 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists in the victory. PG 5D

College Park -- Picture being the defending national champion and having your spot atop the polls, a 24-game winning streak and your sense of invulnerability summarily seized from you by the very team you beat eight months before to win the title, and on television, no less. Now, picture what it would be like to be the next team you play, having to face a lot of talent and six days of pent-up anger. It's pretty clear, then, what the Virginia women's basketball team is up against tonight at Comcast Center vs. No. 3 Maryland, which takes the court for the first time since its 81-62 loss at Duke last weekend.

RICHFIELD, Ohio -- Now it is Danny Ferry's turn . . . sort of.During the summer, Ferry was written in as the latest in a long line of Cleveland Cavaliers' small forwards. At 6 feet 10, Ferry is both bigger and slower than the ideal small forward, and that has been a problem at times this preseason."Right now, we're going to use different people there," coach Lenny Wilkens said. "I think we will have the position well-covered, but one night it may be Danny, others it could be Winston [Bennett]

CLEVELAND -- A month ago there was hope. A month ago there was promise. When people spoke of the Washington Bullets making the playoffs, they were serious.But after 25 games the Bullets find themselves exactly where they stood last season -- 7-18, and going nowhere fast.The Cleveland Cavaliers were the latest team to exploit the Bullets, using the league's best defense to post a 91-75 win before a sellout crowd of 20,562 at the Gund Arena. It was the 10th loss in 11 games for the Bullets, who are 2-12 for the month of December.

Et cetera UVa. spoils Loyola rally in men's lacrosse opener James Pannell assisted on the tying goal with one-tenth of a second left in regulation and scored the game-winner 1:44 into overtime as No. 10 Virginia won, 14-13, over visiting No. 14 Loyola Maryland in the men's lacrosse season opener for both teams. The Greyhounds trailed 12-4 after three quarters before scoring nine straight goals - the last by Tylor Albrecht - for a 13-12 lead with 17.1 seconds left.

Zach Abey had two touchdown runs and two touchdown passes, and Ryan Craig finished with four tackles, a forced fumble and recovery as No. 13 Archbishop Spalding edged No. 12 St. Frances, 35-34, on Friday. The host Cavaliers (5-1) built a 14-0 lead after the first quarter and led 28-12 at the half. The Panthers (3-4) rallied in the fourth quarter with a 90-yard kickoff return by Khalil Stanfield and a 29-yard touchdown pass from Quantaye Battle. No. 14 Perry Hall 45, Catonsville 7: Quarterback Jeff Iweh passed for 308 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for another, and the visiting Gators' ground attack netted 259 yards.

Here are observations made during Maryland's 27-20 victory over Virginia: *How many times have you seen a kickoff returner pause to consider whether to run the ball out of the end zone … and then bolt past the coverage? That's what happened on Stefon Diggs' 100-yard touchdown return. Sometimes, even a short hesitation can cause the coverage team to either pause or overrun the play. “The ball was 5 yards deep, I believe and we had the feeling that (Diggs) was going to take a knee,” said Virginia kicker Ian Frye.

It was all there for Maryland's taking Saturday: a prime opportunity against a struggling, turnover-prone rival to go 2-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference for the first time since 2001 and to begin to make something of a season from which little was expected. Maryland started quickly - a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Stefon Diggs - and its defense held on to record a 27-20 victory and spoil the Cavaliers' homecoming on a sunny day in front of an announced 45,556. “We've got a happy locker room next door,” Maryland coach Randy Edsall said.

Steele Stanwick (Loyola) came up big again with three goals and four assists to lead nine Cavaliers in scoring as top-ranked Virginia beat host No. 4 North Carolina, 15-10, on Saturday. With the win, the Cavaliers (10-1, 2-0) clinched at least the second seed in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, which they'll host April 20 and 22. Friday's home game against No. 10 Duke will determine the league tournament's No. 1 seed. Stanwick has 243 career points, moving past Kevin Pehlke (239)

Visiting No. 5 North County got its regular softball season off to a great start Wednesday. Pitcher Brittany Jones pitched a one-hitter and Nicole Merriman started a four-hit, five run rally as the Knights upset No. 1 Seton Keough, 6-1. Jones drove in three runs with a double for North County (1-0), which next travels to Northeast on Friday at 4 p.m. The Cavaliers fell to 5-6. Tied at 1 after the first inning, the Knights scored five runs in the third and held on to win. No. 2 Archbishop Spalding 4, Chesapeake-AA 2: Freshman right-hander Ali Caulkins picked up her first win of the season, pitching seven innings and striking out two for the host Cavaliers (1-1)

For years, the South Carroll Cavaliers have relied on solid defense, steady pitching and scraping up runs any way they can.Coach Debbie Eaton says this season will be no different.The Cavs have a strong nucleus back from last year's team and a handful of promising newcomers who are looking to make their mark at the varsity level."The defense has been a strong point at South Carroll over the past few years and the offense hasn't always been there," Eaton said."We're looking to take advantage of our speed and experience at the offensive end and feel the defense will again take care of itself.

Three days after powering Virginia to the program's fourth NCAA championship, junior attackman Steele Stanwick was recognized for his effort by taking home the Tewaaraton Award, given to the nation's top college player. On the women's side, Northwestern attacker Shannon Smith won after leading the Wildcats to an upset 8-7 victory over No. 1 Maryland for their sixth championship in seven years. Stanwick, a Baltimore native and Loyola graduate, outlasted Cornell junior attackman Rob Pannell, Army senior attackman Jeremy Boltus and Syracuse senior goalkeeper John Galloway and senior long-stick midfielder Joel White for the award.

The Archbishop Spalding bats were alive Wednesday as the No. 5 Cavaliers followed this season's trend of knocking off the top-ranked team, beating John Carroll, 12-4. Juniors Derrick Wells, Austin Clark and Nick Freeberger and senior Phil Kreis all homered for the Cavaliers. Wells started the barrage in the first inning with a three-run homer. Freeberger, in his second game back after recovering from a broken neck, hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning, and Clark hit his two-run blast two batters later in the inning to chase John Carroll's starting pitcher Trent Shaw.